Sh: What connection exists between magnetism and electricity?

Well, today we are going to

tackle the topic of magnetism from electricity. So it was Friday, April 21, 1820. In the middle of
his lecture, Hans Christian Oersted, a physics professor from Denmark, is making a
demonstration with a compass and an electric wire. When the wire's current is activated, he
observes that the compass's needle has begun to move. And when he turns the current off, the
needle returns to its original position. When he reverses the direction of the current flowing
through the wire, the needle shifts in the opposite direction. What Oersted demonstrated that
day was a fundamental discovery: the connection between electricity and magnetism.

Sy: Electricity and magnetism are two related phenomena produced by the electromagnetic
force. Together, they form electromagnetism. A moving electric generates a magnetic field. A
magnetic field induces electric charge movement, producing an electric current. Magnetization
is generated when electric charges start to move. It explains why the Earth’s magnetic field is
essentially keeping us from being cooked alive right now and also explains the discovery of
William Gilbert that the Earth itself is a weak magnet. Just like in the liquid outer core, the iron
inside it moves around as the Earth spins on its axis, but because of the high temperature, the
magnet produced is weak. According to André-Marie Ampere’s law, magnetic fields are related
to the electric current produced in them. Ampere’s law can be used to know what magnetic field
is generated by an electric current.

Sh: We measure magnetic fields using a unit called Tesla, which is one Newton per Ampere-
meter. The magnetic fields from some of the world's strongest superconducting magnets are
only 10 teslas strong, but one tesla is a very powerful magnetic field. Oersted's Law is the first
of three right-hand rules. What he demonstrated during his presentation was that a compass
needle, which is a magnet, deflects when a current-carrying wire passes across it. It deflects in
the opposite direction when it is beneath the magnet. The direction that the magnet points is
parallel to the magnetic field around the wire.
Take out your hand and point your thumb along the flow of the current – that is defined as the
flow of positive charge. Now curl your fingers as they were wrapping around the wire. The
direction that your finger points is the direction of the magnetic field created by the current.

Sy: The second right-hand rule is usually applied to freely moving charges, called cathode rays,
or otherwise to push on electric currents. This one helps you keep track of three directions: the
direction of the magnetic field, the current, and the force.
Point your arm in the direction of the current. Then bend your fingers so they’re perpendicular to
your palm – this represents the direction of the magnetic field. Your thumb, which is
perpendicular to your fingers, is the direction of the force on the wire.

Sh: Lastly, the third right-hand rule is used in finding the direction of the force. Straighten your
fingers with your thumb stretched outward. Then point your arm in the direction of the particles'
velocity. Then bend your fingers to make them point in the direction of the magnetic field lines. If
the charged particle is positive, your thumb is pointing in the direction of the force. But if it’s
negative, the force is pointing in the direction opposite to your thumb.
Sy: Therefore, electric currents create magnetic fields, and magnetic fields exert forces on
electric currents and charges.

Sh: Oesrted conducted a straightforward experiment, but his finding—which connected two
major fields of physics—motivated other scientists to carry out a great deal more
experimentation.